Butternut Squash Soup

This fabulous butternut squash soup recipe is simple, easy, and full of flavor. Serve it as a side dish or make it a meal with a side salad and some wonderfully crusty bread. A great soup recipe to add to your fall recipe collection!

My path to loving butternut squash was a long and winding journey, as I was your stereotypical kid who had to be begged and bartered with to take just a bite of the vegetables on my plate.

Broccoli? Smother it in cheese, please.

Salad? It better be drowning in ranch or thousand island dressing.

MY OTHER RECIPES

Mushrooms? I’ll take a bowl of cream of mushroom soup! You see where this is going…

As I got older, I was more open to at least giving things a chance, and at some point I was at a relative’s house for dinner and found out butternut squash was on the menu. I was nervous. I hadn’t tried it, but I wasn’t a big fan of other squash. It was roasted in olive oil, brown sugar, maple syrup and thyme. It was AMAZING.

How to Make Butternut Squash Soup

This soup comes together fairly easily, but it does require some unique steps, so let’s talk through them!

Sauté the Butternut Squash Scrapings – This is definitely different than any other recipe I’ve found for butternut squash soup – you cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and stringy squash stuff (technical term). You saute it with butter and a shallot, which is essentially building the base of a homemade butternut squash stock, which really intensifies the flavor.

Steam the Butternut Squash – Add water to the sautéed mixture in the pot and use a steamer basket insert to steam the butternut squash until it’s tender.

Puree the Butternut Squash – Once the butternut squash has cooled enough to handle, scoop the flesh out and puree in a blender or food processor with the strained steaming liquid to get a nice thick and smooth consistency.

Warm and Season the Soup – Transfer the pureed mixture back to the pot, add heavy cream, brown sugar, and nutmeg and warm through before serving.

As you’ll see, there aren’t many ingredients to this soup; the small amount of dark brown sugar and nutmeg are just enough to accent the squash and really make the flavor pop. The cream adds a bit of texture, and on the whole, this is a very filling soup.

Recipe Tips and Notes

If you do not have a pot with a steamer basket, you can make a modification by placing a colander inside the pot and covering it with foil. Alternatively, you can roast the butternut squash in the oven (peel and cut the squash into 1-inch cubes, place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until the squash is tender).

To make a vegan version of this soup, substitute coconut milk or almond milk for the heavy cream and coconut oil for the unsalted butter.

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven (or heavy pot) over medium-low heat until foaming. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the squash scrapings and seeds, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter turns saffron color, about 4 minutes.

Add the water and salt to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, place the squash cut-side down in a steamer basket, and lower the basket into the pot. Cover and steam until the squash is completely tender, about 30 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, and use tongs to transfer the squash to a rimmed baking sheet. When cool enough to handle, use a large spoon to scrape the flesh from the skin. Reserve the squash flesh in a bowl and discard the skins.

Strain the steaming liquid through a mesh strainer into a second bowl; discard the solids in the strainer. (You should have 2½ to 3 cups of liquid.) Rise and dry the pot.

Puree the squash in batches in a blender or food processor, pulsing and adding enough reserved steaming liquid to obtain a smooth consistency. Transfer the puree to the pot and stir in the remaining steaming liquid, cream, and brown sugar. Warm the soup over medium-low heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg and adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste. Serve immediately with an extra drizzle of heavy cream, if desired. Soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Warm over low heat until hot; do not boil.

Recipe Notes:

If you do not have a pot with a steamer basket, you can make a modification by placing a colander inside the pot and covering it with foil. Alternatively, you can roast the butternut squash in the oven (peel and cut the squash into 1-inch cubes, place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until the squash is tender).

To make a vegan version of this soup, substitute coconut milk or almond milk for the heavy cream and coconut oil for the unsalted butter.

You can freeze this soup. To do so, allow it to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Oh Michelle! I just wrote a post about my dislike of vegetables, as well! How ironic. I’m always looking for “tolerable” vegetables and so far I’ve been wary of butternut squash. But if another vegetable-hater can recommend something – I’m game…

Wow! That soup looks so gorgeous and creamy–perfect for fall! Butternut squash is definitely a yummy food to have in your good veggie repertoire. I had just tried butternut squash ravioli for the first time a few days ago and was astounded by its deliciosity. :D

I also like the use of water instead of stock–stock doesn’t always improve a recipe–and blending the squash scrapings with the butter.

I was the same way about vegetables growing up, which made my first attempt at vegetarianism as a kid something of a bust. Now that I’m an adult lacto-vegetarian who’ll actually eat most vegetables, this soup looks absolutely delightful to me!

BTW, I always thought I hated Brussels sprouts. It’ll never be a permanent staple for me, but when I got some in my CSA box, I found that shredding them, then sauteing them *very* quickly with walnuts, made them worth eating!

I love butternut squash;it really is so versatile and made even easier by the fact that my Costco carries it already cleaned and cubed in the fresh veggie section. I don’t usually pay a premium for stuff like that, but the ease of use is so worth it for me. Shopping there today; thinking soup on the table tonight!

This soup looks so cozy ! Have you ever had the squash soup at Wolfgang Puck’s ? It is out standing ! I cann’t wait to try yours. Don’t feel bad about not liking veggies,last Thanksgiving my older sister (she’s 58) don’t tell her I told you that, tried sweet potatoes for the first time and loved them! So you’re never too old to try something new!

I was like you growing up, not a big fan of a lot of vegetables. My appetite for them has matured with age. Even today however, in a soup is the only way I eat butternut squash. Your soup recipe looks great.